Getting rid of the large annoying flags in Battle?

**Agrippa Postumas** · March 29, 2009, 09:58 AM

With Rome and Medieval, this was simple. The first thing I'd do when installing the programs was set flags and arrow markers to FALSE. (They cluttered the view of the battlefield and seriously took away the feeling of realism.) I found the arrow markers settings, but I haven't found anything about the flags.

Does anyone know how to get rid of the 60' flag poles in Empire?

**Macroi** · March 29, 2009, 10:48 AM

It is incredibly annoying.

The only way to do it is to change it in the game under "options". You can set the flags to only appear when you mouse over a unit, or you can set them to never show. However, for some silly reason you have to do this EVERY SINGLE TIME you start a battle. Changing it in the preference file makes no difference.

I know there are more serious bugs in the game, but it's the very fact that this one is so minor, and so persistent that makes it so damned aggravating.

**Stokes52** · March 30, 2009, 12:25 AM

Wow, I didn't realize you have to reset it after each battle, thats kinda annoying. You wonder how these things get past testing.

I knew you had to reset it after each battle in the DEMO, but I didn't realize this made it into the actual game. I did notice it reverting back to the usual now that I think about it, but I assumed it was just a one time fluke.

**Demokritos** · March 29, 2009, 07:33 PM

Yes, this is perhaps my biggest annoyance with the game, too, along with there not being a "slide-on" function for the unit cards, order buttons, and radar - like in M2TW - for an uncluttered view of the battlefield, and a greater sense of realism.

**Ftmch** · March 29, 2009, 07:35 PM

Yes, it's annoying that you have to reset the banner-setting every battle, very annoying. And I don't like that there isn't a slide-on function either. Also, it would be great to have it so that the orders only showed up when you have selected units for instance.

**tarloch** · March 30, 2009, 03:04 AM

yup i agree those huge flags are totally lame, god knows wot they were thinking of.

as a non modder i tried to reduce the size myself by editing flag tga's but all i can manage to achieve is to change wot the small flag bearer at the head of each unit carries(same as others have done).
i have no idea wot affects the size of the large flags. i would also like to see a more pronounced bobbing to indicate which unit is selected. at present u can barely notice and i refuse to have green markers turned on

come on you pro modders please fix this simple yet annoying problem

**carson1482** · March 30, 2009, 05:21 AM

I think it may be in Application Data/The Creative Assembly/Empire/scripts/preferences.empire_script

but im not sure not check it properly coz its confuseing

**Demokritos** · March 30, 2009, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by carson1482

I think it may be in Application Data/The Creative Assembly/Empire/scripts/preferences.empire_script

but im not sure not check it properly coz its confuseing

Yes, in the preferences file there are entries for "ui_land_unit_ids" and "ui_naval_unit_ids", and if you set the value for those to "2", meaning "never", then I think it's meant to take away those flagpoles. Only thing is, when you start a battle after this change, you have to go into the ui settings for "Floating flags"and change it to "mouse over" for the flagpoles to really disappear, and next time you start a battle, when the in-game "Floating flags" setting is still at "mouse over", you have to change it back to "never" for the flagpoles to really disappear. And you have to continue like this back and forth for each battle in order to keep those flagpoles invisible...

**Yonatanl2** · March 30, 2009, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by Demokritos

Yes, in the preferences file there are entries for "ui_land_unit_ids" and "ui_naval_unit_ids", and if you set the value for those to "2", meaning "never", then I think it's meant to take away those flagpoles. Only thing is, when you start a battle after this change, you have to go into the ui settings for "Floating flags"and change it to "mouse over" for the flagpoles to really disappear, and next time you start a battle, when the in-game "Floating flags" setting is still at "mouse over", you have to change it back to "never" for the flagpoles to really disappear. And you have to continue like this back and forth for each battle in order to keep those flagpoles invisible...

so basicly, it doesn't do jack...

**Agrippa Postumas** · April 03, 2009, 10:55 PM

In Medieval they had it just right. Simple preference file edits made the arrows and flags disappear...when a unit was highlighted, it was slightly brigter than the surrounding units...just perfect. Man, they screwed the pooch on this one!

I hate when game developers do this...They get something perfect in one edition of the game. Then they release a sequal and UNDO what they had just right for reasons known only to God and the developers!

"Hey CA, Patch Please!!!???"

**blank** · April 04, 2009, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by Agrippa Postumas

In Medieval they had it just right. Simple preference file edits made the arrows and flags disappear...when a unit was highlighted, it was slightly brigter than the surrounding units...just perfect. Man, they screwed the pooch on this one!

I hate when game developers do this...They get something perfect in one edition of the game. Then they release a sequal and UNDO what they had just right for reasons known only to God and the developers!

"Hey CA, Patch Please!!!???"

To be fair, it is a new engine, not the M2TW one. One can only hope that this will be fixed in the upcoming gameplay patch...

**The Hedge Knight** · October 08, 2010, 06:34 PM

I dont know if it will work (or even if its for the exact same problem) but my no flags mod for napoleon: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=367197 may fix this?

**p.jakub88** · October 09, 2010, 03:14 AM

I downloaded your no flag only.pack mod, but it makes a CTD to my ETW during loading screens....

Your mod is a movie type pack so the Mod Manager didn't recognize him.....

Is this mod compatible with Empire Total War 1.5 or no? Because if it is only to Napoleon:TW using it is a waste of time to download him.

Please make a compatible version of this mod for Empire Total War 1,5 if you could!

When i opened your no flags only.pack file in Pack File Manager i saw a different files than in vanilla ui.pack of Empire Total War. There is no such files in ui.pack of ETW!

You placed the skins from N: TW, so it made a crash for ETW.....

Someone should create a non flag mod for Empire Total War for sure!

I don't understand why such mods don't exist already.....

Otherwise you will have a battle with flags not with enemy....

If i were a modder i would create such mod from the very beginning.

Some damn file must be responsible of displaying those annoying flags!

The question is: Which pack file contains such file - ui.pack, main.pack or patch.pack?

Thanks in advance!

**p.jakub88** · October 18, 2010, 07:54 AM

For getting rid off those floating flags in Empire Total War ( only for 1.5 version of ETW) try this one:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=396227